EagleInKY

Beaver - Regarding your question about bi-weekly meetings. Personally, I like to get Cub Scouts accustomed to weekly meetings as soon as possible. We did twice a month meetings or gatherings as Tigers, and then moved to weekly meetings or activities with Wolves. We did not meet on weeks of the pack meeting or if we did an outside activity. (i.e. if we went on a hike on Saturday, we didn't have a den meeting on Monday). For Wolves and Bears, I believe it's the call of the parents. Do what works best for you. I strongly encourage Webelos to meet weekly. This helps them prepare for regularity of troop meetings. I remember once seeing a group of Webelos that had never met weekly throughout their Cub Scout time. They were shocked to find out troops met weekly, and that they were expected to be there!

I like this format, let me add a few more: 6) Elementary PTA needs help at a school event (running games, concessions, etc.) 7) Scout assists with "Children's church", a worship activity for preschool and elementary kids. He spends an hour helping with the lesson, singing songs, puppets, etc. (Beta club approved these hours for their required service) 8) Scout is asked by a neighbor to assist in working concessions or the parking lot at the local soccer club. Funds go to civic organization and to the soccer organization. He is not a member of either.

1.OA Ordeal - Maybe, I'd have to think on it some more. 2.Loading popcorn - Yes 3.Show & Sell - No, direct benefit to only the troop and council. 4.Confirmation Hours. Probably, if I approved it ahead of time. 5.Ushering at church. No

eagleSM - I must admit, I thought you were incorrect in your statement. But I did go check the Eagle Application, and you were right in that there is a specific list, and the SM assigned POR is not listed as an option. If that is a strict BSA rule, I would be surprised that several Eagle applications have been approved. I know they are closely scrutinized. I wonder if this is one of those gray areas that they allow, but don't promote. hmmmm?????

eagleSM - I sat on an Eagle BOR a while back. It's a large troop, and there isn't the option for every scout to be an SPL or other major leadership position. The Eagle candidate had served in some of the traditional support positions (Scribe, QM, etc.) for Star and Life. For Eagle, his POR listed was Webmaster. We asked him what he did for that position. He did not just set up the troop website. He had to find a hosting company for the website. He also set up a network of computers for the troop to use. And, on their High Adventure trip, he posted pictures and a diary on the website at every opportunity, so the families back home could keep up with hos things were going. We were very impressed with what all this young man had done. He did not like to be the "leader in the spotlight". He preferred to be a "servant leader" instead. He probably did more as the "troop webmaster" than the some of the boys in traditional positions (librarian, historian, chap aide). So, before you dismiss an area of responsibility and say "stick with the program", consider what the candidate did. If the Scoutmaster has approved it as a POR, we should at least give it fair consideration.

SA - "How is a large family style tent with more than one adult and more than one scout different from cabin style camping where all parties sleep on bunks in the same small room, or the scenario on many ship board sleepovers where everyone sleeps in the same cabin, or museum sleepovers where everyone sleeps in the same area." I cannot recall the publication, but my understanding is that BSA encourages adults to sleep in a different room, or with some form of curtain or barrier, whenever possible. While we recognize there are times where this simply is not an option, we should always try to provide private accommodations for the youth. "..the scout without a parent or guardian present only has the option to sleep with another scout." Yes, you are correct. That is why we encourage scouts to begin sleeping with other scouts during Webelos. Even if parents come, we encourage the boys to bunk together in tents. Typicaly, dad A and dad B shares one of the tents, while son A and son B share the other's tent. This gets them used to sleeping with other youth, and it prevents you from having the problem of what to do with the parent-less child. I've found that it is usually the adults that resist this, not the youth. The boys may initially be wary of sleeping with another scout, but they end up having much more fun. We adults need to learn to let go a little more.

I'll defer to Bob White on this one, but this is how I understand it. The order is traditional, and has no specific meaning. Each course director chooses how to assign the patrol names. Some do it randomly, some pre-assign them. The only limitation is that the Troop Guide cannot be assigned to the patrol he or she was in. www.woodbadge.org has some woodbadge history in it. There are some other sites as well.

I think it would be a good idea, and popular with the scouts. If it could be done such that they were (1) at about the same cost of the long pants today, and (2) were durable enough to handle year-around wear.

There must be a spot for "other". I've seen Eagles who had untraditional PORs, such as webmaster.

Hey Richmond. This leadership stuff is tough at times. I had an equally frustrating occurence on a campout last week as well. Our SPL wouldn't let a boy play a particular game due to safety concerns. The boy got upset and started shouting some things ("this troop s*cks" and the like). I pulled him to the side and came within a gnat's eyelash of sending him home. Mom got called and she had a conversation with him. In retrospect, I wish I had gone on and sent him home. But hindsight is 20/20. It sounds like you've handled things appropriately. If these troublemakers are gone, then you're troop will be better off for it. Unfortunately, they are probably going to be the ones who suffer. That is, if they are correct about the other troops not being as strict. They won't learn the discipline they need to learn in life. All they'll get from it is "if you don't like what one person is telling you, ask someone else". I disagree on the concept of the PLC setting discipline rules. I believe that is a joint decision between the Troop Committee and the Scoutmaster. The junior leaders are responsible for carrying out rules and discipline as an activity is going on, but not - in my opinion - after the fact. What I mean is, the SPL is responsible for trying to stop the boy from rocking the toilet. But, after all is said and done, it is up to you and your troop committee in regards to how to handle the situation in regards to discipline or punishment.

Red River Gorge is awesome, and gives opportunities for all levels in scouting. Most troops in the Kentucky area visit there regularly. Here are a few highlights - Koomer Ridge Campground. If you're into comfortable camping, this place is great. Nice showerhouse, well-laid out campground. Two problems - practically no firewood, and they don't take reservations. During peak camping season, you have to get there early on a Friday. Trails - Trails vary from short and simple for your Cub Scouts to the very difficult. Our guys put together a series of trails that totaled about 7 or 8 miles. It was fairly rugged, and had a couple of opportunities to get lost if they weren't paying attention. It was a good test for the first year scouts, and allowed them all to complete their map & compass requirements. There are also some long, difficult trails, that are great for backpackers, including troops wanting to do shakedowns in preparation for Philmont or other long treks. Climbing - There are hundreds of places to do climbing and repelling. Repelling of an arch is a real adrenaline rush. Our guys watched some climbers at Gray's arch last month. Now they want to try it themselves. Arches - The area is known for its many arch formations. Natural Bridge is the most famous, and is a "must see". Sky Bridge and Gray's Arch are two good choices. These provide lots of opportunities for the guys (and venturing girls) to explore. Here are two links: http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/boone/rrg.htm (This site contains just about everything you need to know, including information on the campground, trails and regulations). http://www.redrivergorge.com/ You can also do a search on google and get lots of information about trail preferences. The trails at the gorge are mostly pretty short, but they are in clusters. You can link several trails together to get a longer trail. Several websites give you suggestions for doing this.

You're scaring us all. I'm assuming by your terminology that you are not in the U.S. If you were, I think I'd contact the local authorities. If you can't be straight with us, please find another site to annoy.

Our troop is young and is learning this process. The first few times were rough. Ended up being much more adult-led. But they just didn't know what to do. Each time has gotten better. The last time, we focused on a six month period, and it went pretty well. But still had a lot of adult leadership. That was at the end of May, and they were planning July-December. In a few weeks, we'll be going through a formal planning session, planning for 2005. We'll be very specific for January-August. We'll be a little more vague for the balance of the year.

It's difficult to rely on a single conduit to get communications from the troop to the pack. Usually, that conduit is the Webelos leader. Often, he or she doesn't understand scouting enough to understand what to do. Here are some recommendations, some will have to wait until next year. 1) When you recharter, get the Webelos 2 leader of your pack registered as a member of the troop committee. Call him (or her) the Webelos-to-scout transition chairperson. Invite him to committee meetings, troop meetings and outings. Tell him which ones are appropriate to invite his son to, or to invite to entire den to. 2) As soon as possible in September of October, invite the Webelos 2 to a troop meetings. This fulfills an AOL requirement. Invite the parents as well, and give them an overview of scouting and your program. Get their names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses so you have a way to contact them as well. 3) Invite them to 2 or 3 events, well in advance (as you have). But follow up with an invite to each individual boy (since you have their contact info now). Our Webelos orientation is tonight. I'm so excited. The SPL and ASPL have put together a great meeting plan. We've expecting about 12 of the 18 to be present. We'll do it again in a month or so to try and get the rest of them.

Welcome Jethro. Sorry for the problems you're having. I've never suffered from TPS (Truncated Post Syndrome), but I hear it can be quite annoying, and sometimes painful. John gave you some good advice.

Welcome biker dude. Throw another log on the fire.

Hi and welcome to the forum. As a Scoutmaster and former Cubmaster, I believe the best thing you can do is try to understand the aims & methods of the program, and support him as he tries to implement them. There will be rocky roads ahead. There always are when you are in a leadership position. You can be a big help by propping him up when he needs the extra support.

www.woodbadge.org plays a midi file in the background. No lyrics. http://www.woodbadge.org/backtogilwell.mid "I used to be an Antelope".

http://www.woodbadgestuff.com/

Wow, I didn't know they had camps to teach you how to chirp like a cricket. ;-) gsmom - I agree with your thoughts, and I believe it is fairly consistent with the BSA model. In Tigers, it's more about participating. In Cubs, it's "Do your best". Credit is given if the Cub tries to do the work to the best of his ability. That's a step above participation. Boy Scouts raises the bar to taking personal accountability for your advancement and doing the work to achieve it. I believe the fear that many of us share, is whether scouting will migrate more of the "do your best" ideas into Boy Scouts. I've seen it creep in from time to time. For example, I've seen BORs that really didn't want to turn down a boy and hurt his feelings. I've heard of Merit Badge counselors that give credit for trying to do the work. These subtle changes concern me. And I hope we will all work to hold scouting to the standards of the founder.

Here's the transcript. I didn't see it, but it's caused some discussion around the office today. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/01/60minutes/main646890.shtml

Sorry Foto, but you're incorrect. You're trying to use two parts of the same set of policies against each other. When camping, no youth is permitted to sleep in the tent of an adult other than his own parent or guardian. I don't see how it can be much clearer. It has nothing to do with two-deep leadership. It's to prevent the awkward situation as you described in your earlier post. I know that our council interprets it as Bob and others here have stated.

I know of a troop that used to have three people who could haul their trailer. Over time, that number has dropped to one. And the one guy is unavailable about 1/2 of the time. They downsizing to a smaller trailer that can be pulled by lighter vehicles. Before buying our trailer, I wanted to make sure we had plenty of people who could haul it. Forecasting out, I believe we're going to be okay for many years. Of course, things can change, but I wouldn't have been for it if we had only one or two people who could haul it.

Welcome to the forum Shawn. I guess there's room for another tarheel.

Welcome to the campfire.